Upon the ruins of an 8th century abbey, Benedictines fathers built, in 1067, a beautiful monastery. The priory built, around 1119, a small chapel to be used by the priory's household members and local residents. This small chapel will become St. Nicolas-des-Champs church.

Established as a parish church in 1184, it was rebuilt early in the next century. Again, it was recuilt from 1420 to 1480. At the end of the 15th century, the façade, the first seven bays and aisles were completed. Following the increase in the population, additional aisles were added in 1541. Under Jean de Froncières' supervision, four additional bays and souble aisles were added from 1576 to 1587. Early in the 17th century, the last two eastern bays and the double-ambulatory apse were completed. The Renaissance styled portal was executed in 1587 upon plans drawn by Philibert Delorme while the chancel and double ambulatories and the last two nave bays were built between 1613 and 1615.

The western façade is diagonally oriented with the rest of the church. The three gables, linked by flying butteresses, foreshadow the five naves. The portal, leading to the main nave, is decorated with sculpted statues executed by Louis Desprez in 1843. The 15th-century campanile towers the building with its high and bulky `figure. The upper section of the tower was executed in 1668.

The interior is vast: 295 feet (90 meters) long, 65.6 feet (20 meters) high under the main vault, five naves without transept, twenty five high windows... This 13-bay nave, with double aisles lined with chapels, ends with a three-wall apse.

Closed in 1791, the church became the Hymen and Fidelity Temple in 1793. Returned to worship in 1802, the church was restored from 1823 to 1829.

The church houses many remarquable art works, among them the Assumption reredos executed by Simon Vouet and Jacques Sarazin in 1629. There are also painting by Amico Aspertini, Gaudenzio Ferrari, Noël Hallé, Jacques Stella, Léon Cogniet, Jean-Baptiste Pierre, Étienne jeaurat, and Noël-Nicolas Coypel.

The organ

The Gallery Organ

An organ is present in this church ever since 1418. It was a Medieval plenum instrument without stops bought from Bernard de Montigny. Repairs were executed on the instrument in 1536.

In 1564, this Medieval organ was no longer satisfactory. At the same time, a large gallery (17 feet by 8 feet / 5.2 meters by 2.5 meters) is built above the main entrance, in front of the ringers' gallery, and on which Jacques Pigache intalled the first gallery organ, small and square, very likely topped by moving statues.

A new instrument was commissionned between 1608 and 1611 to the most famous organbuilder of the time, Paul Maillard. It was a single organcase instrument with three round Flemish-styled towers. On top of lateral towers, eagles were looking at a statue installed on the center tower. Actual lateral towers and lower organcase are from this era.

In 1628, churchwardens want to compete with rich parishes in Paris and are comtemplating the construction of a new organ by old Crépin Carlier whose rates were still outmoded.

The organ was commissionned in 1632. The construction required a back Positif and the enlargement of the main organcase. This positif no longer exists but the main organcase as is between the wings added in 1776. The central tower is raised to 36 feet (11 meters) above the gallery's floor and the flats are modified to house the larger pipes that were in the central tower. Sculptor Jean Boyer executed the musician angels that are located above the flats, the atlands that are supporting the lateral towers, the fruit garlands and the cartouches. While there were only 48 notes, winchests have 51 grooves as a provision for split sharps to differenciate between D shap and E flat in the three highest octaves. This indicates a meantone temperament with 8 pure thirds.

Fifteen years after his appointment, Nicolas Gigault (1625-1707) commissionned, in 1688, consistent works to Antoine Vincent: new voicing for the reeds, reraking and incorporation of a third in the Plein-jeu and, replacing it by a double 3 1/5' Tierce, renovation of the Pedal windchest and the addition of a Clairon, addition of a Trompette an 8' Flute on the small double-action windchest used for the Récit treble Cornet, that would be available on a fourth manual while eliminating their use on the second manual. Addition of a fifth manual to play an 2-stop Echo division.

In 1700, the maintenance of the organ is commissionned to a parishioner, Robert Clicquot. In 1732, a contract is signed with the youngest son, Louis-Alexandre Clicquot, to execute a complete renovation: increase of the manual compass up to D5 and removal of the split sharps, the replacement of the Voix Humaine in the Positif division by a Trompette in order to avoid placing the Cromorne in the Grand Jeu, a new five-toeboard windchest in installed in the Récit. While other instruments go to 5 manuals, St. Nicolas goes back to 4.

In 1765, the wind system fails completely. Louis-Alexandre's son, François-Henri also a parishioner, is called to the recue. He builds new bellows. It was the first step towards a restoration.

The contract for a new organ is signed on January 16, 1772 for which the stoplist is now lost. Carpenter Borel is commissionned to execute the enlargement of the gallery and the entrance: door, entrance's ceiling according to architect Richard's plans, the removal and reassembling of the organcase according to the organbuilder's wishes while using the old ornaments. The main organcase was brought foward and enlarged way up to the lateral walls using opened wings to house the Pedal Montre. A new Positif is built using ornaments similar to the wings. All winchests are new except for the Récit who would use the same layout. All pipework is new; all metal pipes are made of tin except for the Echo Flute that is built using common metal. This new instrument has 42 stops over 5 manuals and an independent pedal, 50-note manuals (from c to d5, without the first c sharp, a large windchest in four sections of 100 grooves and 20 offset toeboards for the Grand-Orgue and the Bombarde. There are 10 bellows to supply wind with winkers and whose extraordinary bombardes have a frightening brightness. Used for the first time on December 5, 1776, the instrument was official received on August 6, 1777 by Claude Balbastre and Nicolas Séjan.

During the Revolution, organist Antoine Desprez who had succeeded to Claude-Étienne Luce, considering himself the instrument's watchman, prevented any damage to the instrument. In 1791, citizen Mollard classified the instrument as a first-class instrument.

From 1804 to 1825, Dallery was responsible for the regular maintenance of the instrument. At the same time while the church's decor is renovated, the organcase is painted with this magnificent chocolate color in order to make it more beautiful. After 50 years of service, many repairs had to be executed in order to keep it functional.

In 1839, succeeding to Louis Braille, Édouard Batiste called for a transformation of the instrument. The situation remained unchanged for the nest 9 years. In the end, Batiste resigned and was appointed to St. Eustache. Confronted with unavoidable repairs, his successor, Zavier Wackenthaler, was authorized to call upon organbuilding firm Ducroquet and his artictic director Danjou who expressed conservative opinions to suit the parish's lack of funds.

At the end of the century, the organ was very much deterioted, despised for its archaism, considered to be little playable. After the First World War, it was completely out of service.

Following lengthy discussions, in 1926, it was generally agreed not to modify Clicquot's instrument but a renovation could include a complete overhaul of the mechanical action and the addition of Barker machines, the enlargement of manuals to 56 notes and the addition of an enclosed Récit with 19th-century stops.

The work was commissionned to Victor Gonzalez who was premiering in matters of historic organ restoration: tuning by transposition, new manuals and pedalboard, Barker machines for the three pedal couplers, and pneumatic action stop action.

The inauguration recital was played on February 21, 1930 by Charles-Marie Widor and Joseph Bonnet. In spite of its new action, the action soon started malfunctioning and the instrument did not fulfill the role expected with what was left of its authenticity. It played only a more and more limited liturgical role.

The arrival of Michel Chapuis, in 1955, as titular organist, revived not only the hopes but also the barriers. In 1972, he left the position. He was replaced, following a competition, by Jean Boyer. Until 1975, major maintenance woks were carried out: the restoration of reed tongues and the implementation of an derived unequal temperament by Rameau executed by Philippe Hartmann. Boyer gone, Vincent Janvrin is now charged to look after this venerable ancestor.

It is hoped that soon doctors capable of curing it will come forward with solutions that will allow this instrument to find a new life.

The Chancel Organ

John Abbey built this chancel organ in 1845. Pierre Chéron restored the instrument in 1952. He electrified the key and stop action, and enlarged the enclosed Récit division by adding a Nasard, Quarte, and Tierce. This instrument is one of the very first Paris chancel organs made by John Abbey and is a very instering one due to its authenticity.